Members and Board Meet in Baggot Street for Annual General Meeting

From 18 May to 20 May the Members of MIA (Leaders) met at Baggot Street. In addition to the technical issues that are a part of all AGMs, the Members spent two and a half days together discerning the call of Global Mercy today.

                                                MIA Members and Associate Members 2014
L-R: Back Row: Srs. Elizabeth Davis, Carmela Carbactulan, Colette Cronin, Sheila Burke, Dolores Magee, Anne Campbell.
Front Row: Srs Loreto Conroy, Berneice Loch, Margaret Casey, Pat McDermott (Missing: Catherine Ryan and Catherine Reuter)

There was a rich sharing on how each area endeavours to develop a vision of global Mercy in their own realities and the ways in which the challenge of ‘How can we do better together than any of us can do apart?’ continues to call them. The celebration of the 20th anniversary was recognised as a special opportunity for linking the local and the global and for involvement of Sisters, Associates, Partners in Ministry and friends of Mercy. The meeting provided an opportunity to have a conversation about the call of Pope Francis to create a Church of Mercy and its challenge/implications for the unfolding vision of MIA.

A substantial time was given to the topic of Development/Fundraising but this was contextualised within the concept of seeing this activity as an integral part of advancing mission today. Henry Nouwen’s words about asking others for money were of particular significance:

‘We are declaring we have a vision that is amazing and exciting. We are inviting you to invest yourself through the resources God has given you – your energy, your prayers and your money in this work to which God has called us. We must not let ourselves be tricked into thinking that fundraising is only a secular activity; fundraising is as spiritual as giving a sermon, entering a time of prayer, visiting the sick, or feeding the hungry.’

Another important topic considered was how MIA, especially through its Theological Reflection Network, might find a way of exploring challenges among us and within our church relating to new cosmology and social and ecological justice as well as engagement of our tradition with the exploration of the direction forward into a new vision and praxis.

The Members and Board Directors were presented with a review of the activities of MIA 1994 – 2014 and this was an opportunity to celebrate the journey made, the progress achieved and the extraordinary generosity of a large host of people who birthed a dream and tended its growth and development over ‘twenty years a growing’.

Messages to: Mary Reynolds rsm - Executive Director MIA